Summary
In late 1978, rumors of a mysterious woman with a grotesquely slit mouth began circulating in Japan's Gifu Prefecture. Known as Kuchisake-onna, or the Slit-Mouthed Woman, she was said to approach children wearing a surgical mask and ask whether they considered her beautiful. By 1979, alleged sightings had spread across Japan, frightening schoolchildren and prompting parents and teachers to organize protective measures. Newspapers documented the extraordinary wave of fear, but no supernatural encounter was independently verified. The identity of the original reported figure and the precise circumstances behind the earliest rumors remain uncertain.
Additional Notes
The modern Kuchisake-onna legend emerged in Gifu Prefecture toward the end of 1978. According to one account discussed by folklorist Yoshiyuki Iikura, an elderly woman from a farming family reportedly saw a strange female figure standing in a garden, her mouth extending unnaturally toward her ears. Other accounts identify different possible places of origin, and the alleged encounter has never been independently established. On January 26, 1979, the regional newspaper Gifu Nichinichi Shimbun mentioned the growing rumor. As the story spread among schoolchildren, descriptions of the mysterious woman became increasingly elaborate. She was often portrayed as having long hair and wearing a surgical mask, sometimes accompanied by a red coat or a sharp weapon. According to popular versions, Kuchisake-onna approached children and asked, "Am I pretty?" Those who answered yes were confronted with her horrifyingly disfigured mouth and a second question. Refusing or giving the wrong answer could supposedly provoke an attack. Children exchanged possible escape strategies, including offering sweets or responding ambiguously to confuse her. By the spring and early summer of 1979, the legend had spread across Japan. Reports and rumors became so widespread that some schools arranged group journeys home, while parents and teachers organized patrols. Newspapers and magazines repeatedly covered the phenomenon, contributing to its national visibility. The panic gradually subsided around the summer school holidays, although Kuchisake-onna remained a prominent figure in Japanese popular culture. The earliest reported encounter is attributed to an elderly woman in Gifu Prefecture in late 1978. According to one version, she saw a mysterious woman with an unnaturally wide mouth standing near a farmhouse. Other versions place the encounter near an outdoor toilet or in a different town. During 1979, additional alleged sightings circulated among schoolchildren across Japan, but the number of distinct firsthand witnesses cannot be reliably established. The database therefore records one conservatively counted alleged witness, without implying that the supernatural figure was real.
The Location Today
Gifu City is accessible to visitors and serves as a symbolic geographical reference for the origins of the Kuchisake-onna phenomenon. The reported sightings of 1978–1979 are part of Japan's folklore history, while the figure continues to appear in horror films, literature, and popular culture. No physical site or surviving evidence confirms the existence of the legendary woman.
- Environment
- Urban Area, Residential Area
- Time of Day
- Unknown / Various times of the day
- Evidence Level
- Newspaper Report
- Visiting the Location
- Free Access
- Ownership of the Location
- Mixed